Chef Leah Chase: Meet the Queen of Creole Cuisine

October 27 - On The Dot

FIRST THOUGHT:Food From the Heart

For the holidays last year, a thoughtful cousin gifted me a collection of handwritten recipes from the family. These cursive instructions for delicious concoctions quickly became one of my most cherished possessions.

It got me thinking about how food isn’t just about filling our bellies; it’s about connection, whether that means connecting with a person on the first date at a cozy café or connecting with the meals your grandmother made and her grandmother made. Today, grab a pen and write down a favorite recipe and gift it to someone you love.

WOMEN IN NUMBERS:600 More

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans in 2005, the idea of rebuilding felt like a monstrous task. Where was an entire city to start? Fortunately, New Orleans has some of the most resilient and resolute citizens, so, 10 years later, the city is perhaps doing better than ever.

Known as the queen of Creole cuisine, Leah, who’s now in her 90s, has long been a staple of New Orleans’ restaurant world. In 1946, she married Edgar “Dooky” Chase Jr., whose father ran a street-corner stand selling lottery tickets and his wife’s homemade po’boy sandwiches. Leah and her husband took over the business, upgrading it to a sit-down restaurant featuring Leah’s beloved Creole cuisine and adding a remarkable collection of African-American art to the décor. By the 1960s, the restaurant had become a spot for mixed-race groups to gather and discuss the local civil rights movement, with black and white diners eating meals in the same room—unheard of, considering the segregation laws at the time.

Leah ensures the Dooky Chase menu is ever evolving. Though favorites like her award-winning fried chicken, gumbo and po’boys are always available, specialties like fried oysters, Red Fish Orleans, stuffed shrimp and praline pudding are not to be missed. But what else might you expect from Leah, who recently became the first African-American to receive the James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award?